Careers > Rail Car Repairers

Rail Car Repairers

$62.51K Median Salary 2.2K Job Openings (Annual Projection) 5.2% Job Growth

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About This Career

Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul railroad rolling stock, mine cars, or mass transit rail cars.

Reported Job Titles

Freight Maintenance Specialist, Locomotive Repairman, Rail Car Maintenance Mechanic, Rail Car Mechanic, Rail Car Repairer, Rail Car Repairman, Rail Car Sandblaster, Rail Car Welder, Railroad Car Repairman, Train Car Repairman

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Skills You'll Need

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Abilities

Arm-Hand Steadiness

Control Precision

Manual Dexterity

Multilimb Coordination

Finger Dexterity

Near Vision

Problem Sensitivity

Reaction Time

Static Strength

Trunk Strength

Perceptual Speed

Extent Flexibility

Flexibility of Closure

Deductive Reasoning

Far Vision

Information Ordering

Visualization

Category Flexibility

Gross Body Coordination

Gross Body Equilibrium

Hearing Sensitivity

Inductive Reasoning

Selective Attention

Speech Recognition

Stamina

Visual Color Discrimination

Knowledge

Mechanical

Production and Processing

Design

Administration and Management

Building and Construction

Engineering and Technology

Transportation

Mathematics

Skills

Repairing

Troubleshooting

Equipment Maintenance

Critical Thinking

Operations Monitoring

Quality Control Analysis

Operation and Control

Active Listening

Speaking

Technology Skills

Spreadsheet software

Presentation software

Internet browser software

Electronic mail software

Accounting software

Document management software

Office suite software

Operating system software

Word processing software

Data base user interface and query software

Inventory management software

Tools

Pry bars

Screwdrivers

Hoists

Socket attachments and accessories

Railway lift table for engine and component

Two way radios

Wheel balancing equipment

Tape measures

Cold chisels

Bearing fitting tool kits

Automatic lathe or chucking machine

Hydraulic press frames

Blow torch

Wheel alignment equipment

Levels

Safety glasses

Jacks

Pullers

Cleaning scrapers

Jib crane

Forklifts

Train braking systems

Squares

Sockets

Diagonal cut pliers

Railway rolling stock lifting jack

Ball peen hammer

Railway or tramway maintenance or service vehicle

Adjustable wrenches

Tractor mounted crane

Brake tester

Claw hammer

Shielded metal arc welding or stick welding machine

Combination wrenches

Torque wrenches

Needlenose pliers

Personal computers

Pipe wrenches

Tablet computers

Skid steer loaders

Abilities

Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.

Knowledge

Mechanical: Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Production and Processing: Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Design: Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Administration and Management: Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Building and Construction: Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Engineering and Technology: Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Transportation: Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Mathematics: Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Skills

Repairing: Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Operations Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Technology Skills

Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel
Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint
Internet browser software: Web browser software
Electronic mail software: IBM Notes; Microsoft Exchange; Microsoft Outlook
Accounting software: Billing software; Bookkeeping software; Intuit QuickBooks; Sage 50 Accounting
Document management software: Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat; Filing system software; Records management software; Transcription system software
Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
Operating system software: Microsoft Windows
Word processing software: 3M Post-it App; Evernote; Google Docs; Microsoft Word
Data base user interface and query software: Blackboard software; Database software; Microsoft Access; Yardi software
Inventory management software: Assisi Software Assisi Inventory

Tools

Pry bars:
Screwdrivers: Mini screwdriver sets
Hoists: Hoisting equipment
Socket attachments and accessories: Socket adapters; Socket extensions
Railway lift table for engine and component: Locomotive drop table; Underfloor lifting systems
Two way radios:
Wheel balancing equipment: Bubble balancers; Tire balancers; Wheel balancers
Tape measures: Diameter tape measures
Cold chisels: Flat cold chisels
Bearing fitting tool kits: Bearing removers
Automatic lathe or chucking machine: Bench lathes
Hydraulic press frames: Hydraulic hot presses
Blow torch: Underwater blow torches
Wheel alignment equipment: Wheel alignment gauges
Levels: Optical levels
Safety glasses: Protective safety glasses
Jacks: Hydraulic jacks
Pullers: Comealongs
Cleaning scrapers:
Jib crane: Jib cranes
Forklifts:
Train braking systems: Dynamic braking systems; Freight car air brakes; Hand brakes; Locomotive airbrakes
Squares:
Sockets: Socket wrenches
Diagonal cut pliers: Diagonal cutters
Railway rolling stock lifting jack: Railcar stabilizing jacks
Ball peen hammer: Ball peen hammers
Railway or tramway maintenance or service vehicle: Rail flaw detection machines; Rail flaw detector cars
Adjustable wrenches: Adjustable hand wrenches
Tractor mounted crane: Mobile cranes
Brake tester: Automatic air brake testers
Claw hammer: Claw hammers
Shielded metal arc welding or stick welding machine: Underwater welding equipment
Combination wrenches: Adjustable combination wrenches
Torque wrenches: Hydraulic torque wrenches
Needlenose pliers:
Personal computers:
Pipe wrenches:
Tablet computers:
Skid steer loaders: Bobcats